07.05.03 - 7 years on

Today is my wedding anniversary. We celebrated by spring cleaning our bedroom to await the arrival of the baby. Correction - Hubby spring cleaned the room while I spent time watching various cartoon shows and mediating fights among the kids. Since we've already had a fancy-ish dinner a few days ago (I was so sure the baby was going to come early!), tonight's anniversary dinner will be Hubby's own home-made roti canai. Sungguh romantik!

Despite my earlier prediction that Baby was going to arrive before the due date of 9th May, there's still no sign apart from the irregular contractions. My hospital bag is packed, I've been nesting like crazy (or maybe it's just a manifestation of my natural obsession with tidiness and order) and my legs are so tired I can hardly stand for more than 5 minutes - yet I'm still a good 60+ kg in weight and probably 60+ inches in girth.

Maybe my decision to take early leave, coupled with the intent to get Hubby to spoil me rotten to make up for all those months in Sudan has left me so complacent that Baby decided to do the same. Maybe it's because I was too relaxed during this pregnancy, compared to the previous ones (which always coincided with peak project periods). Or maybe Baby wants to present itself as a Mother's Day gift, which this year coincidentally falls on the same day as my EDD. Or I'll get my wish for a nice birthdate i.e. 10.05.10, to follow the pattern of Nu'man and Aiesyah's.

Whatever it is, I hope and pray for the best. And that Hubby will be around to accompany me in the labour room.

22 days and counting...

I still don't know whether it'll be a girl or boy. Having another girl would be nice, although letting Aiesyah rule as sole princess would still be fun.

Either way, let's hope for a safe and sound delivery.

Nu'man's birthday 06 April.

Nu'man celebrated his 4th birthday at the kindergarten. He had a fever the previous week, but recovered just in time.

He received a birthday gift from his teachers.

The teachers also arranged for the whole kindergarten to celebrate. Here he is waiting to cut the cake with big brother keeping watch while his classmates surround them.

Nuaim has decided to celebrate his birthday at kindy too, but he wants a square cake 'with strawberry icing instead of chocolate.' Very specific - so engineer-like.

New Year updates

New Year, new home, new kindergarten, new clothes, new shoes, new school bags, new car...

After almost 5 years, it's time to sing:

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.

Hope your next owner treats you better.

A New Year, A new decade

So the Noughties are over. What do we call this decade - the Teenies?


No resolutions for this year. None for last year either, so I have not failed to keep any ;-)


The last decade also marks my first decade as a career woman. Now that was certainly something to think about. And I am now at the beginning of a change in my career - different location, different boss, different environment...perhaps even a different career path?


This year I'll also be welcoming a new baby, and by the end of this decade, my current brood will be either in the middle or on the cusp on teenhood - and judging from their personalities, it'll be an exciting and dramatic period.


Bring on the Teenies. And the Tweenies, for that matter.

Not to Study

In relation to the previous post, my body has chosen to overrule my head and breed like a rabbit instead.

Baby number 4 has commenced its pre-natal journey.

I hope it's another girl.

Nuaim says he wants a baby brother. When I tell him he already has a brother, he answered that Nu'man is no longer a baby so he doesn't count.

Nu'man also wants a boy. "Sebab Nu'man boy."

Aiesyah, when asked whether she wants an adik, shakes her head and answers in her trademark bimboesque manner, "Tak nak".

To study or not to study

It's that time of year again. The call for postgraduate study scholarship nominations is out.

The last 90 minutes have been spent searching for suitable engineering & engineering management postgraduate programs in the UK. While I found a few that would have been attractive to me 5 years ago, I wonder if I still have the tenacity and the attention to detail to do something purely technical for 3 full years. Not to mention that it has to be 'aligned to the Company's Technology Agenda', in which my current work does not feature prominently at all.

I'm not sure whether it is something I really still want to do, or just a feeling that it's something I should've done before that features so prominently on my 'to do' list, like ganti puasa. Or it's something that I need to do because it's expected of me and I just can't bear the idea of people going "You should have" for the rest of my life.

Why can't I just be satisfied with staying at home to breed like a rabbit?